Bozeman, Montana
Been on vacation fly-fishing on the Yellowstone River in Montana and I thought I had caught a big one. Got a bite from a trout that practically bent the fly rod into a circle. Fought me all the way, and when I finally got it up, all there was, was a feisty little 12-inch trout with a very bad attitude, so we threw it back. Sometimes those little guys are really tough.
I must admit, we had a little apprehension about going because the story in the news that day was about a very experienced hiker and outdoorsman who simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time, ran into a momma grizzly bear and a couple of cubs and turned into their lunch. Sometimes when we fantasize about nature, we forget that nature is very basic: Sometimes you’re predator and sometimes prey. It’s good to be back in Malibu, where probably the worst you might run into is a bad tempered bicycle rider.
* * * * *
The California Coastal Commission met this past week with a number of Malibu items on the agenda. Not surprisingly, they gave the “ok” to the Civic Center sewer plant (although with a much more acceptable name), but the truth is, no matter what you call it, it probably doesn’t smell any sweeter. Still, it’s probably a good idea because the Civic Center is a little densely developed for septic systems, as long as the people who get the most benefit — principally the commercial holdings — pay their fair share of the costs and the surrounding homes don’t get dragged in just to make the economics work.
They also reaffirmed that if you have a lot in an R-1 zoned area you can build a house on it, even if it does block your neighbor’s view, provided you do it within the existing rules.
The most interesting item was their approval of a five-unit group of homes next to the Kronke Shopping Center (where Ralph’s Market is located), which has been in the pipeline, as I recall, between five and 10 years. But what was unusual is they attached a condition where the developer can only go ahead if he kicks $4 million into some fund the Commission wants to use for some other purpose. It originally started out at $1 million a few Coastal Commission meetings ago, and one of the Commissioners thought that wasn’t enough so they raised it to $2 million. I guess they figured, “If we can get $2 million, why don’t we just go for $4 million?” Somewhere in the process the City of Malibu also picked up a quick $1 million. The problem I have with it is when government starts selling entitlements to the highest bidder, we are no longer in the United States — we’re in Iraq. Extracting these kinds of contributions is to my mind both immoral and amoral, and frankly, Scarlett, they don’t seem to give a damn. Having to pay off to get something is certainly not new to American municipal politics, but if that’s the way the system is going to operate here in the coastal zone, as seems to be the case, why don’t we just cut directly to the end, skip all this self-righteous, pious environmental blather, and just put up the development permits for auction to the highest bidder?
* * * * *
The rehabilitation of the Malibu High School buildings, which was to be funded by Measure BB bond money, which we voted for many years ago, has been hung up in litigation over the Malibu High School parking lot lights, at least according the Bond Oversight Committee that is made up of Santa Monica-Malibu citizens. The litigants say, “No, the district is just totally unreasonable and won’t budge,” and recently even some Coastal Commission staff took a shot at trying to settle the dispute without much luck. My own experience as a litigator is that you can waste a lot of time in settlement talks but most things don’t settle until you’re walking into the courtroom and it becomes settle or go to trial. They should just move the litigation as fast as they can and get this to a judge to decide.
* * * * *
No column would be complete without a passing comment about “The Donald” who continues to ride high in the polls among Republicans, with roughly 25 percent. Sometimes we forget that although 25 percent of those Republicans like him — love him would probably be more accurate — 75 percent of those Republicans love somebody else more. We’re so winner-oriented we can’t see past the leader. But as candidates drop out, as they will, the real indication is where those voters migrate. If they migrate to The Donald, then he’s a serious candidate.